ALL NOVEL Chapter 240: The Detective’s Plan (2)
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No matter how much she racked her brain, Mira had no idea what it could be. At least it was easy to conclude it was a new type of Magic Ware.
「Oh… I’ve never seen such a gadget before. What is it? Some form of Magic Ware?」
Mira had realized it was better to be direct and unreserved when asking questions to the detective, after all their conversations they had and their time touring the city.
「Yes, that’s correct. This is a tracking device to follow suspects, and used to be standard issue for patrol units, though this model is outdated now.」
Saying that, the detective held up the device with a grin, looking like a boy who had finally gotten to hold a real detective’s equipment. At the same time it gave him a more hard-boiled appearance, which suited him rather well.
「Ohoh, so the patrol units are armed with things like that.」
Mira had heard about the patrol units before. Solomon had mentioned them during some of their previous talks.
They existed in Arkite, and across all player-led countries. Their official title was Patrolling Knights, and they fulfilled the same role as the police did in Mira’s past world.
They were regularly patrolling the streets of cities, keeping order in a different way than the army did during war. They would catch criminals, help out lost children, and generally make sure everyone could have a happy and calm life.The Patrolling Knights also had networks of information, surveillance, and teams researching new technologies. Obviously enough, considering they were based in player-led countries, they were also overseen by the Rising Sun Committee.
Their research was focused on non-lethal weaponry, and tracking devices like the one obtained by the detective, as the organization’s main objective was to prevent crimes, meaning their targets would be humans, criminals maybe, but still human.
「It was a struggle to get my hands on this beauty. But it only goes to show how far connections can take you.」
Obtaining an item made by the Rising Sun Committee was incredibly hard, even if it was an outdated item, so that only went to show the vast connections the detective had.
「There’s only one small detail. This device can only be used properly by someone who has received the Divine Protection of a light spirit.」
Saying that with a sigh, the detective began to explain how the device worked.
There was a special spell built into the device, which as the detective had mentioned, could only be activated through the Divine Protection of a light spirit. Many devices developed by the Patrolling Knights had restrictions like that, especially the more powerful ones.
Light, wind, and water spirits were all known for having the most kind and gentle personalities, and they would only give their Divine Protection to people with similar values.
So the devices were locked like that as a failsafe in case they fell in wrong hands.
「They know how useful it can be, so they planned ahead to avoid people misusing it. You have to appreciate their thoughtfulness.」
The detective looked at the device in his hands and nodded in appreciation. In exchange, there were less candidates who could use it, to the detriment of the organization.
A spirit’s Divine Protection was not something that was handed out so easily, and even those with the appropriate personality still needed some luck to actually meet a spirit like that. So people who met those requirements were highly sought after by the Patrolling Knights.
「I actually have the Divine Protection of light and wind spirits. When I retired from being an adventurer I was invited to join the Patrolling Knights, but being a detective seemed more interesting so I rejected the offer.」
The detective sounded proud of that, but Mira just gave a vague 「Oh, I see」 in response. Hearing that made him look a bit dejected again.
Because of her lack of interest, Mira was unaware that only the elite of the elite ever received such invitations. So that was a big accomplishment for the detective, and hearing such an uninterested response hurt his feelings.
「Anyway, about the device…」
After clearing his throat with a cough, the detective went back on topic.
In short, the device was based on Concept Arts for search and exploration. They could identify a target’s mana signature or lifeforce signature and track it, and the type of signature would be selected depending on the situation.
Since Fuzzy Dice was a spellcaster using Forbidden Arts, it was best to track him through his mana signature, as it was common for spellcasters to have a large mana pool that would be easily identifiable.
The device’s operation was also rather simple. One simply had to aim it at a target and pull the trigger. There was only one thing to watch out for, whether there was anyone else with a significant mana pool near the target, or some other source of mana.
「One downside is that the device loses its lock once a target gets more than three hundred meters away.」
The device would make it easy to track Fuzzy Dice, but the state of the detective’s legs meant he could not chase after the thief. Meanwhile his assistant Julius did not possess the Divine Protection of a light spirit, so he could not operate the device. Even if the detective recorded Fuzzy Dice’s mana signature and handed over the device to Julius, it would simply stop functioning.
「I’ve heard that spellcasters who can employ familiars, like summoners, have means to increase their mobility. Would you happen to have the necessary means to chase after Fuzzy Dice yourself?」
Since summoners had become exceedingly rare, very few people knew the full extent of their abilities and power. But Mira had already gained a name for herself as the Spirit Queen, so it was clear she was a powerful summoner.
Now the detective’s eyes were full of curiosity, wanting to know how powerful summoners really were.
「Hmm, mobility for pursuit, you say…」
After a bit of thinking, she followed up with 「Wouldn’t this be enough for that already?」 and used Sky Stride to run up through the air and jump onto the Spellcasters’ Union’s rooftop.
「Now that’s a surprise…」
The detective had been expecting a summon of some sort, so the sudden revelation of a Sage Art left him speechless.
「Yes, I wasn’t expecting that…」
Julius was also perplexed. Mira’s sudden movements had caught him by surprise, making him follow her with his eyes, which ended up making him get a full view of Mira’s underwear. Now he was filled with a sense of shock and guilt, and unsure of how to feel about himself.
There were many other voices of shock emerging around them. The street in front of the Union was always filled with people, so quite a few had also noticed Mira. As all of their gazes centered on Mira, Julius began having a bad feeling about it.
「What do you think? I’m sure this will be much better for a chase, as all of my summons are incredibly powerful and would stand out too much!」
After announcing that with pride, Mira ran around in circles above the street with Sky Stride some more, and then hopped off to the ground. By then her skirt was completely upturned, to the point it was impossible to think of it as an accidental flashing of her underwear.
「That was incredible. You can use Sage Arts too then? I had no idea you had also mastered Innate Sense.」
「I know, I know it was!」
That had been better than what the detective had been hoping for, so he was so excited he did not even notice Julius’ concern, who ran up to her while hearing everyone’s cheers for the girl’s exposed underwear.
Having seen Mira’s mobility in the air, the detective was convinced that it would be enough to match Fuzzy Dice’s movements, and so his excitement at the prospect of finally foiling the thief’s plans made him oblivious to anything else.
「That speed should be enough to let you track and follow the thief from a safe distance. Which means it’s finally time to unearth his hideout. Lady luck is finally on my side.」
Overcome with joy and a sense of victory, the detective quickly began explaining to Mira how to use the Lock-On M-Type device.
Mira was also curious about the device so she happily went along, but before they could get anywhere Julius moved between them, interrupting their conversation as he had something very important to tell them.
Out of all spellcaster classes, sages had the highest mobility, and even if it was Mira’s secondary class, it was enough to let her catch up. Mira’s idea that it would attract less attention than a powerful summon was also true, as her small frame could hide better.
But there was still something they had to be very careful about.
「Your mobility is definitely on par with the thief’s, but you can’t do it the way you are right now. You’ll need to wear something better.」
Julius’ eyes were staring intently at Mira, his voice filled with concern. The detective seemed to realize what he was alluding to instantly, raising his voice with an 「Ahh!」
「Oh, you’re right, I didn’t think about that. Mira, you should be more careful from now on when you use those abilities. A friend once told me that those regions are incredibly precious, especially for women, so you should try to hide them better.」
Both Julius and the detective sounded concerned about Mira now, but she just tilted her head, unable to understand what they were talking about. After wondering about it for a while, she remembered Julius’ suggestion to wear something better, which led her to the answer.
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